Developer officially nixes plans for Cornerstone at Lynbrook complex

Three months after the village board unanimously voted against the Cornerstone at Lynbrook proposal, the developer has withdrawn his application.
In a Feb. 19 letter to the village, Anthony Bartone, the managing partner of the Farmingdale-based Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, wrote that he would not seek to continue the project. Mayor Alan Beach and the board decided on Nov. 19 that the proposal was too large in scope and did not fit the village’s character.
“The vote by the mayor and trustees last November against our application is a clear indication that the size and scope of the project was too large,” Bartone wrote. “While any developer can still propose development downtown, we will not resubmit unless the project is significantly smaller than our previous proposal, and only after community feedback from residents, as we have stated since the trustees’ denial.”
Beach said that Bartone canceled the application at his request after Deputy Mayor Hilary Becker launched his mayoral campaign, contending that the Cornerstone proposal was still a possibility. Becker said that the Nov. 19 hearing was a postponement of the public hearing, not the cancellation of the project.
Beach said that Bartone’s letter should remove any doubts about whether the project is dead. “This is proof of it,” he said, noting that he would be open to hearing any developers’ ideas for future revitalization and reviewing them to see if they fit the board’s vision.

On Jan. 2, Becker announced that he was running against Beach in the March 19 election, and cited their differences over the Cornerstone development as his motivation. He unveiled the Preserve Lynbrook Party, which includes trustee candidates Antoniella Tavella and Steve Ligouri. Tavella and Ligouri are challenging incumbent trustees Ann Marie Reardon and Robert Boccio — who are running with Beach on the New Vision Party line. David O’Neill is running as an independent trustee candidate.
After Bartone announced his withdrawal from the project, Becker said that Beach was responsible for allowing it to go as far as it did in the review process. “The reason that this New York City-sized development was coming to Lynbrook was because of Alan Beach’s efforts,” Becker said in a statement. “I am glad to see that the developer is finally making it public that he’s only now pulling out of our village.” He added that he would not be surprised to see the project brought up again after the election.
In his resignation letter, Bartone took issue with the Preserve Lynbrook Party for disparaging his firm as part of its campaign. He said the party made “ridiculous allegations,” which included claims that Bartone was colluding with Beach.
“The Preserve Lynbrook Party and Mr. Becker have put these wrongful allegations forth with no proof of any kind in attempt to smear us for no cause other than political gain,” Bartone wrote. “We have had nothing to do with this campaign content or its funding.”
Becker had previously negotiated with Bartone over the sale of four of his family’s properties near the Cornerstone site, but the deal never materialized, and he sold them to developer Bradford Mott. Becker said he believed Beach and Bartone were colluding because the New Vision Party had posted texts and contracts between the deputy mayor and the developer on social media to prove that Becker had a history with Bartone.
“It’s obvious they’re colluding,” Becker said. “I didn’t give the mayor the texts. If they didn’t come from me, they came from Bartone. It’s clear he has a vested interest in Alan Beach winning this election.”
The Cornerstone at Lynbrook was the culmination of an eight-year-long effort by Bartone to construct a development in the village. He negotiated with several administrations, but Beach was the first mayor to attempt to move forward with an idea.
Reached by phone, Bartone said that he would be open to trying to build a transit-oriented development that community members would embrace down the line. He added that even though he believed Becker’s party used him as a “political chess piece,” he would be willing to work with whomever won the election.
“We absolutely would like to continue to work with the community to find something that everybody can embrace,” he said. “. . . Although we stand willing to work with anybody, [the Preserve Lynbrook Party] doesn’t seem to view downtown development favorably.”
Becker said he would be open to condominiums and townhouses, but not rental apartments.
Bartone said that the reason for the delay between the Nov. 19 decision and his withdrawal from the project was because he felt the board was clear in objecting to the project, so he did not see the need to take further action. Once the Preserve Lynbrook Party made it the basis of its campaign, he said, he pulled the project at the request of Beach to eliminate any perceived ambiguity.
Development is likely to be one of many topics discussed when the League of Women Voters and the Chamber of Commerce co-host a Meet the Candidates Night on March 7, at 7 p.m., at the Lynbrook Public Library.